The high cost of oil, gasoline and other raw materials — coupled with a recent flurry of articles on global warming — has me thinking about our environment and its future. If you listen to the prevailing scientific view on global warming, things are pretty bleak. Unlike some politicians, I happen to believe the scientists when they say that unless we act, serious consequences will result for future generations. At the same time, I recognize all the challenges of trying to get people to significantly alter behaviors for something that won't happen in their lifetime.

Still, my attitude about the future has been somewhat bleak. Then I attended the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) conference. In just three years, CARE has managed to encourage diversion of 108.2 million pounds of post-consumer carpet from landfills. The amount recycled has climbed to 98.4 million pounds. Maybe those numbers aren't quite the lofty goals originally set, but remember that number was zero just three years ago.

These numbers are a testament to what an industry can do when it puts forth an effort. It doesn't hurt that a lot of commercial customers drive the carpet manufacturers toward these goals. And the companies themselves have taken these initiatives to heart.

And here's something even more exciting. As I sat there listening to some very smart people talking about incentives to keep carpet out of the landfill and ways to use the old stuff, it dawned on me that America has a potentially incredible natural resource in those landfills. One day the economics will make sense, and we'll be mining these places for all kinds of raw materials. Feedstock from nylon carpet fiber could one day be the used and buried carpet that's being dumped today.

Don't get me wrong. We have serious environmental issues ahead. And they shouldn't be shoved onto future generations. Fortunately, our industry is doing something, but it could use your support no matter where you are in the supply chain.